User:Mhopeee

Street Art
Brief History of Graffiti According to pbs, “Today, auctioneers and collectors shell out thousands of dollars for [modern] graffiti-style pieces.” Many of the roots of all this money spent go back to Philadelphia and New York city subways in the late 1960s. One of the most notable modern graffiti artists was Darryl “Cornbread” McCray. He spray-painted the word “cornbread” wherever there was room to do so. To impress his crush, he proceeded to write “Cornbread Loves Cynthia” all along the route she took to school. Another famous artist was Taki 183 of New York. As a paper messenger, Taki wanted his name all over the city. Because he knew the ins and outs of NYC, he accomplished his goal and gained fame for writing his nickname all over the city (his real name was Demetrius). Generally, these and many other famous graffiti artists of this movement had their youth and poverty in common, which made it easy to take legal action as a result of their vandalism. Soon, older people of the time period began to ask themselves if these crimes had anything to do with the other major movements of the surrounding decades like, rock and roll, civil rights, and feminism. Most of the political graffiti of the time took place in England when quotes such as “Black is Beautiful” and “All submission to authority humiliates, all exercise of authority perverts” anonymously became famous throughout the country. Another thing these writings had in common was the artist’s desire for attention, whether they were trying to send a message, or were simply desiring recognition and fame. Graffiti was a free advertisement for whatever it was they wanted to say, and in their mind, there was no consequence unless they were caught. Little did they know, they were sparking a movement of style worth millions of future dollars.

'''Is Graffiti Art or Defacement? How is Graffiti Different from Commissioned Work?''' When considering whether graffiti is art or defacement, whether or not the artist obtained permission or consent to use the pre-existing building, wall, or structure as their canvas must also be considered. According to Laurie A. Eldridge, the view of graffiti being vandalism has recently shifted, after once being considered a way for those of low socioeconomic status to act out and make themselves known- art historians, critics, and educators have found new ways to view this art form (Eldridge 21). Regardless, those who paint onto a structure that is owned privately or by the city without obtaining permission could be considered guilty of defacing the property. The classification of “defacement” comes from the owners of the structure and from onlookers of the graffiti. Additionally, a building, architecturally speaking, could be considered a work of art in and of itself. An artist would not enter an art museum or gallery and paint upon another artist’s work without consent, so the same rule would logically follow that a graffiti artist should not paint over the property or work of another person without expressed consent. All in all, it seems as though the opinion of whether graffiti is art or vandalism remains up to the creator and owner of the structure and up to the community that looks upon the graffiti. In the case of commissioned work, consent or permission is obtained prior to the work being placed on the structure. With permission, the possibility for being accused of vandalism is eliminated. Also, the work is not being created for free, nor is the artist always given full artistic freedom. There are restrictions that accompany the money that they are being given for their work.

Do We Have a Place in Society for Graffiti? In Eldridge’s interview with a graffiti artist named Sentrock she found that, “Sentrock believes that teaching students graffiti art is an important way for youth to find their voices and identities” (Eldridge 25). Giving students a way to explore a way to represent themselves through creating may prove beneficial, especially for children who may come from families of lower socioeconomic status and have fewer resources or less time for self-exploration In addition to self-exploration, graffiti has been used as a means to document what is occurring at various points in time throughout history. From cave drawings to elaborate murals, people have often resorted to documenting history on walls of public spaces. Anna S. Rusyaeva states, “The dedicatory graffiti from the excavations of the Southern Temenos in Olbia provide indisputable evidence for the existence in that district not just of an Aphrodite temenos but also of the existence at the same time as the earlier of her sanctuaries of one for the local Hero Angelos. Despite their fragmentary nature, it has been possible to divide up the graffiti into a number of separate groups and then analyse them accordingly” (251). Through these excavations, graffiti became incredibly helpful in piecing together parts of history. Glimpses of what was going on in the lives of the artists at that time allowed archaeologists to better understand an entire group of people, which could prove beneficial in the future in terms of current art.

Tagging? According to Eldridge, tagging was created as a means to put your name or other source of identification on as many things as possible- it was created as a means of gaining notoriety, not as an art form (22). While graffiti artists do sometimes incorporate their names into their work or even use it as the source of inspiration behind the piece itself, it seemingly was not considered its own art form.

Works Cited Eldridge, Laurie A. “An Unselfish Act: Graffiti in Art Education.” Art Education, September 2013, pp. 21-27. EBSCOhost, library.collin.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aft&AN=89902205&site=ehost-live. Accessed 25 Nov. 2018

Rusyaeva, Anna S. “Graffiti from the Southern Temenos in Pontic Olbia.” Ancient Civilizations: Fro, Scythia to Siberia, vol 21, 2015, pp. 251-279. EBSCOhost, doi:1-.1163/15700577-12341285. Accessed 25 Nov. 2018.

“A History of Graffiti - The 60's and 70's.” Sprayplanet, www.sprayplanet.com/blogs/news/a-history-of-graffiti-the-60s-and-70s.

Britishculturearchive. “Anarchists & Underdogs | Images of Social & Political Graffiti in the UK.” British Culture Archive, 2 Nov. 2018, britishculturearchive.co.uk/2018/03/04/anarchists-underdogs-25-images-of-social-political-graffiti-in-the-uk/.

Frankel, Eddy. “Art Attack: Political Graffiti from the 1970's.” Time Out New York, Time Out, 16 July 2015, www.timeout.com/london/blog/art-attack-political-graffiti-from-the-1970s.

“TAKI 183.” TAKI 183, www.taki183.net/.